Why Olympic Swimmers Shave Down

Why do Olympic Swimmers shave down?

The reasons for preparing their skin for their next race are extensive. Athletes know that you can’t ignore your largest organ, your skin, as you prepare your body for competition. In our 2012 Summer Olympic Games you can be sure that the world’s best swimmers like Michael Phelps and Aaron Peirsol are pulling out their razors. Here’s why:

Be Faster. It has been proven that smooth skin makes athletes more aerodynamic. Removing hair and more importantly, dead skin cells, by shaving down makes you faster.

Feel Faster. The psychological effects of shaving before races or meets can be significant, as it prepares your skin to tell your brain that you can be faster, giving you a refreshing advantage in your racing.

Be Slippery. Swimmers shave to be more hydrodynamic by removing not only their body hair, but more importantly to remove the thin layer of dead skin cells that coat your external epidermis, reducing drag and friction in the water. To really feel slippery, we recommend shaving the soles of your feet and the palms of your hands to heighten your sensation when in the water.

Better Massages. During post workout massages masseuses don’t like hair as oils get gummed up in it. Rubbing oil on smooth skin is far preferable and results in better, more thorough massages. Also, smooth skin may in fact allow lactic acid to more easily extract itself from your body.

You don’t need to be an Olympic swimmer to take advantages of these benefits, but you can follow the lead of the ones that do. We’re not sure the products used by the aforementioned athletes, but we like to think that they are traveling to London with a bottle of TICO* Shave Oil in their bags. Or better yet, if they aren’t, and you are… that gives you a secret competitive edge!